Combination washing and drying machine



Dec. 16, 1958 W. H. NICHOLS COMBINATION WASHING AND DRYING MACHINE Filed Dec. 3, 1953 AMW 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 fz-zz Erz far MLLAC'EHMOHOLS Dec. 16, 1958 w. H. NICHOLS COMBINATION WASHING AND DRYING MACHINE Filed Dec. 5, 1953 2,864,250 COMBINATION WASHING AND DRYING MACHINE Wallace H. Nichols, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Whirlpool Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application December 3, 1953, Serial No. 395,898 3 Claims. (Cl. 68-19) This invention relates to improvements in laundry machines, and more particularly relates to such machines adapted to wash and dry clothes in a sequence of continuous operations.

This application is a companion application to my application, Serial No. 395,535, filed herewith.

A principal object of my invention is to provide a simple and improved apparatus for shortening the time required to evaporate water from the clothes by transferring a part of the water from the clothes by an absorbent medium.

Another object of my invention is to provide an efficient form of combined washing and drying machine in which the clothes are washed by tumbling in a drum having a perforate periphery, in which the periphery of the drum is contacted by an absorbent material for absorbing moisture in the clothes in the drum for removal therefrom by squeezing.

A further object of my invention is to provide a simplifier form of clothes washing and drying machine arranged to shorten the drying time of the clothes by absorbing water therein and transferring the water for removal therefrom.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a simplified form of clothes washing and drying machine in which the clothes are tumbled in a rotating drum having a perforate periphery and encircled by a band of water absorbing material, in which the Water absorbing material is contacted by a second travelling water absorbing material and is squeezed therefrom by wringing.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a clothes drying machine in which the drying operation is shortened by relying upon an absorbing agent encircling the tumbling drum of the dryer, to absorb water from the clothes in the tumbling drum and by transferring water from the absorbing agent and wringing water from the water transferring means all during the circulation of heated air through the dryer drum.

These and other objects of my invention will appear from time to time as the following specification proceeds and with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure'l is a view in end elevation of a combined washing and drying machine constructed in accordance with my invention, looking at the rear end of the machine and showing certain parts thereof broken away;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along line II-II of Figure l; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken through the lower part of the clothes tumbling drum and transfer and wringer rolls for transferring water from said drum and wringing the same for discharge through the drain.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings, I have shown a combined washing and drying machine comprising a cabinet having a clothes tumbling drum 11 journalled therein for rotation about a horizontal axis. 1 have also shown a tub 12 in the bottom of the cabinet and extending upwardly along the sides and periphery of the tumbling drum 11, for holding washing water in said tumbling drum while washing clothes therein.

The bottom of the tub 12 is shown as sloping toward a central drain fitting 13, accommodating water to be 'Unite States Patent 0 ice withdrawn therefrom to drain at the end of the washing operation. The drain of water through the fitting 13 may be controlled by a suitable valve (not shown), which may be solenoid operated if desired and controlled by the cycling timing mechanism for controlling the cyclic operation of the machine. It is, of course, obvious that a pump may be provided to drain water from the tub 12 if desired.

The cabinet 10 is shown as having a partition or bulkhead 15 mounted therein and extending therealong from one side wall to the other, and from the bottom to the top thereof, and dividing said cabinet into a washing and drying compartment 16 and an air circulating compartment 17 containing the means for circulating air into and out of the tumbling drum 11.

The bulkhead 15 is shown as having an air intake opening 19 therein, confronting a rear perforate wall 20 of the tumbler drum 11 for supplying air into the tumbler drum and the washing and drying compartment 16.

As shown in Figure 2, an air intake duct or conduit 23 leads through a rear end wall 24 of the cabinet 10 and has communication with a vertically extending air intake duct 25, extending upwardly along the bulkhead 15 for conducting air through the intake opening 19. A suction impeller 27 is shown as being journalled in the air intake duct 25 in communication with the conduit 23, for sucking air therethrough and forcing the air upwardly along the intake duct 25 into the drum 11 and washing and drying compartment 16 through the intake opening 19 in the bulkhead 15. A heating element 29, herein shown as being a well known form of electric heating element is contained within the air intake duct 25, for heating the air as it is forced into the washing and drying compartment 16. While I have herein shown an electric heating element for heating the air, it is obvious that the air need not be heated by an electric heating element,

but may be heated by a gas burner associated with the intake duct 25 if desired.

The impeller 27 is herein shown as being a well known form of suction impeller, mounted on a shaft 30 journalled intermediate its ends in a boss 31 in a wall 32, closing the inner part of the duct 25. A pulley 33 is shown as being mounted on the shaft 30 in the space between the tub 12 and the wall 32 and as being driven from an endless belt 34 trained about a pulley 35 on a shaft 36 of a motor 37.

A second pulley 38 is shown as being keyed or otherwise secured to the motor shaft 36 inwardly of the pulley 35 and as driving a belt 40 trained about a pulley 41. The pulley 41 is keyed or otherwise secured to the end of a shaft 42 of a suction impeller 43, for driving said impeller and withdrawing'air fro-m the washing and drying compartment 16. The impeller 43 is shown as being mounted on a wall 44 of an exhaust duct 45, and as having its intake in communication with the exhaust opening 21 in the bulkhead 15. The exhaust duct 45 is shown as extending from the impeller 43 and leading through a side wall 46 of the cabinet 10, for discharging the spent air to the atmosphere.

The motor 37 is mounted on a platform 39 supported in vertically spaced relation with respect to the base of the cabinet 10 on legs 40-40'.

The clothes tumbling drum 11 is shown as having a perforate cylindrical wall 41' which may be of perforated metal or a heavy mesh. The perforate cylindrical wall 41 extends between the rear wall 20 of the dryer drum and a front wall 43' of said drum and is suitably secured to said walls. The rear wall 20 is also perforate and is shown as having a shaft 44 secured thereto and extending through the bulkhead 15 into the air circulating compartment 17. The shaft 44 is shown as being journalled intermediate its end on the bulkhead 15 on a bearing boss 45' extending rearwardly from said bulkhead (Figure 2).

The front wall 43' of the bulkhead is shown as having a clothes receiving opening therein defined by the inner margins of a forwardly projecting flange 46, overlapping a stepped flange 47, the inner margins of which define a clothes receiving opening in a front wall 49 of the cabinet 10. A suitable door (not shown) may be hinged to the front wall 49' to close theclothes receiving opening defined by the stepped flange 47 and seal the same in a manner common to automatic washing machines, and forms no part of my present invention, so is not herein shown or described further.

The forward end portion of the tumbling drum 11 is supported on spaced rollers 49-49, which may be antifriction rollers, and are shown as being mounted on the outside of the tub 12, and as having supporting engagement with the flange 46'.

The shaft 44 is shown as having a pulley 50 on its rear end, located within the compartment 17 and keyed or otherwise secured thereto. The pulley 50 is shown as being driven from a motor 51 through a belt 53 trained about a pulley 54 on an idler shaft 55. The idler shaft 55 is shown as being mounted at its rear end in a bearing support 56 and extending in and across the tank 12, and as being journalled within said tank for a purpose which will hereinafter more clearly appear as this specification proceeds. A pulley 57 on the shaft 55 is shown as driving said shaft and the pulley 54. The pulley 57 is driven through a belt 59 driven by a pulley 60 on a shaft 61 of a motor 51. The motor 51 is shown as being mounted on a platform 64 beneath the platform 39 and supported on the legs 40'-40' supporting the platform 39.

Referring now to thenovel water absorbing and transfer means of my invention for absorbing the Water in the clothes Within the tumbling drum 11 and transferring the water therefrom, the perforate cylindrical wall 41' of the drum 11 is shown as being encircled by an absorbent member 65, which may be an absorbent cloth such as Terry cloth, an absorbent nylon or any other suitable absorbent material, which will readily absorb water from the clothes in the tumbling drum 11 after water has been drained from the tub 12 at the termination of the washing operation.

The absorbent covering 65 for the cylindrical wall 41' of the tumbling drum 11 is shown as being contacted by an absorbent covering or face 66 of a roller 67. The absorbent covering 66 may also be a Terry cloth or an absorbent nylon or any other suitable material, and serves to transfer water from the absorbent material 65 by absorption, to be wrung therefrom by a wringer roll 69, pressed into engagement with the absorbent face 66 of the roll 67.

The roll 67 is mountedwithin the tub 12 on an idler shaft 70, supported in opposite end walls of said tub. The mounting for the shaft on the end walls of the tub may be adjustable to vary the pressure with which the absorbent face 66 engages the absorbent face 65 of the drum 11, and the pressure with which the wringer roll 69 engages the absorbent face '66 in any suitable manner. The adjusting means is no part of my present invention so is not herein shown or described.

The wringer roll 69 is shown as being mounted on and driven from the shaft 55, which extends within the tub 12 and is suitably journalle'd therein in opposite end walls of-saidtub.

The wringerroll 69 is thus driven by the motor 51 and its peripheral speed may be such as to drive the water absorbing roll 67 at the same peripheral speed as the peripheral speed of the tumbling drum 11.

In operating the laundry machine of my invention, the tumbling drum 11 being filled with clothes, water and soap or a detergent may be supplied to the tub 12 in any well known manner. The motor 51 may then be energlzed to drive the tumbling drum through the belt 53 and pulley 50 and clean the clothes by tumbling in the washing solution.

As the washing cycle is completed, Water may then be drained from the tub 12 through the drain 13, preferably controlled by the cyclic control for the machine. The tumbling drum continuing to be rotatably driven, the motor may then be energized to drive the suction impellers 27 and 43 to establish a circulation of air into the washing and drying compartment 16 and through the tumbling drum 11 through the perforate walls thereof. The heating element may also be energized.

When water has been drained from the tub 12, it will pass through the perforate periphery of the tumbling drum 11 onto the water absorbent covering or face 65 therefor. The water absorbent face 66 of the roll 67 pressing into engagement with the covering 65 will absorb water from the covering 65 and transfer a major portion of the water therefrom, which is continuously wrung from the face 66 by the wringer roll 69, rotatably driven by the motor 51 through the pulley 57 on the shaft 55 for said wringer roll. The water squeezed from the water transferring roll 67 by the wringer roll 69 will drain to the bottom of the tub 12 and out the drain 13.

It will be understood that various modifications and variations of the present invention may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts thereof.

I claim as my invention:

1. A laundry machine comprising a rotatable receptacle for tumbling materials having a liquid pervious inner peripheral wall and a liquid sorptive outer wall surroundingly engaging said inner peripheral Wall and sorbing liquid thereinto removed from the materials tumbling in said receptacle, transfer means comprising a rotatable roller having a liquid impervious circumferentially continuous backing wall and means forming a liquid sorptive peripheral surface on said backing wall engaging said liquid sorptive outer wall on said receptacle to sorb liquid therefrom, rotatable wringer means engaging said transfer means to continuously squeeze said sorptive surface against said backing wall and squeezing liquid from said sorptive peripheral surface for conditioning said surface to sorb additional liquid from said outer wall of said receptacle, and a common driving means rotatively driving said receptacle and said transfer means and said wringer means in synchronism with one another.

2. A laundry machine comprising means forming a rotatable receptacle including a peripheral wall having a liquid pervious inner surface and a liquid sorptive outer surface, means including a transfer roller adjacent said receptacle having a wall with a liquid sorptive peripheral surface abutting said liquid sorptive outer surface and progressively engageable with the entire peripheral area of said outer surface upon relative rotation of said receptacle and said roller, a wringer roll engaged against said roller and squeezing said peripheral surface against said wall, and a common driving means to rotate said receptacle, said transfer roller and said wringer roll in unison, whereby the materials tumbled in said receptacle are impacted against said inner surface to remove liquid therefrom and the released liquid is sorbed by said outer surface, re-sorbed by said transfer means, and rejected by said wringer roll.

3. A laundry machine as defined in claim 2 and means for selectively injecting gaseou and liquid fiuid into said receptacle for washing, rinsing and drying materials to be laundered.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 45 Gerard Feb. 14, 1893 ,304 Johnson Sept. 26, 1950 l 'Tann Aug. 14, 1956 

